So I Decided To Sit In On A Webinar With The Very Concerned Leader Of The GQP's New Climate "Policy"
I've been following the GOP's purported new interest in climate and environmental issues with some curiosity and decided to take an hour to check out a webinar by a leading spokesman of the new conservative green "wave", John Curtis (UT-3). He was presenting with CEO of the Rainey Center, with a Bloomberg energy reporter moderating.
I regret to say that my cynicism was fully justified. Beyond his admission that the planet is warming, there was very little there.
1. Early in the presentation came a dismissal of the need for incentives for renewable energy and EVs/EVSE, because providing incentives and subsidies makes industries "lazy".
2. There's no real need for government to "pick winners and losers" by supporting things like deploying EV charging systems.
3. Besides, EVs cost $100,000 and who can afford that? I used to chat function to notify the Congressman that as of 1/1/21, there were five PHEV and eight BEV models on the market with MSRP less than $40,000 pre-incentive, and that used EVs are substantially cheaper. The Bloomberg guy did pick this up and remind the Rep that yes, they're not all $100,000 cars.
Curtis responded that if you stand next to I-15 and watch the Teslas go by, they're all driven by one group of people. White people? College graduates? Croatian-Americans? Liberals? Capricorns? He never made that bit clear.
4. Nuclear power, esp. next-gen technology, is a viable option for low-carbon power (OK, I'll buy that).
5. Carbon taxes never came up; cap-and-trade barely (like ten seconds) came up; planting trees was briefly mentioned.
6. We will solve the climate crisis through innovation and ingenuity. Mostly, we'll solve it by getting rid of lots and lots of regulations, but don't forget the innovation! Or the ingenuity (and entrepreneurship)!
7. We will also solve the climate crisis through the new Climate Task Force that will be convened by Kevin McCarthy. Really soon.
8. There are 77 members of the Conservative Climate Caucus. Ed. note - they haven't actually done anything, but there are 77 members.
9. Republicans care deep[y about the environment. They just need better messaging!
No concrete ideas of any kind, no proposals, just the same old green bullshit in a new box covered in gift wrap with Susan Collins' face on it. Pathetic.
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